This invention relates to a device for inhibiting wheelies in motorized vehicles such as motorcycles.
As is well known, a wheelie is an occurrence in which the engine of a rear wheel-driven vehicle transmits excess power to the rear wheel or wheels such that the front end of the vehicle lifts off the ground. When this happens the vehicle will tend to flip over onto its back if the excess power is not shut off completely or reduced to a level whereby the angle of the tilt of the vehicle is stabilized at a required level by appropriate adjustment of the engine throttle. Because wheelies can look spectacular to an audience they are often deliberately induced for vehicles such as racing motorcycles either during or after a race by an appropriate increase in the engine power via the throttle. However, this is at the risk of applying too much power to the rear wheel to the extent that the motor cycle flips over onto its back, with attendant consequences of damage to the motorcycle and almost certain personal injury to the rider.
Whilst wheelies are often deliberately induced by riders of motorcycles they can also happen accidentally, particularly with powerful motorcycles having a very high power to weight ratio. This can happen when a motorcycle travels over a bump in the road which can result in the rider inadvertently twisting the handlebar throttle grip by an amount sufficient to momentarily accelerate the engine to a point in which the front of the motorcycle lifts off the ground. If this happens, then unless immediate remedial action is taken by the motorcycle rider the motorcycle can again flip over onto its back with, again, the same consequences as if a wheelie had been deliberately attempted but too much power had been applied to the rear wheel.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for inhibiting wheelies in motorized vehicles such as motorcycles so as to prevent the vehicle from flipping over onto its back even if the wheelie is deliberately induced.
According to the invention there is provided a wheelie inhibitor device, the device comprises a switch housing adapted to be secured to the rear of a vehicle and containing an electric switch, a switch actuating rod extending from the switch housing substantially behind the trailing part of the or a rear wheel of the vehicle and being adapted to touch the ground when the front end of the vehicle is tilted upwards relative to the ground by a pre-determined amount, the switch being electrically connected to one or more engine cut out or rear brake actuating regions of the vehicle, the arrangement being such that upon tilting upwards of the front of the vehicle by the pre-determined amount the free end of the actuating rod touches the ground and thereby actuates the switch to, in turn, temporarily deactivate the engine or apply the rear brake, as the case may be, to thereby inhibit the wheelie.
Conveniently, the switch is electrically connected between the or each high tension coil and the positive or negative earth of the vehicle with the electrical circuit normally being complete and interrupted only through actuation of the actuating rod i.e. by the rod pressing against the switch to open the circuit and thereby cause an interruption in the supply of high tension current to the or each spark plug. Although this will make the engine cut out, albeit only temporarily, nevertheless other cut out regions of the vehicle may be connected to the switch, such as in the case of a motor cycle where a cutout switch is connected to the side stand to ensure that the motorcycle cannot be ridden with the side stand in its open position.
A further alternative is to connect the switch to the main ignition cut-out switch located on or adjacent to the handlebars of a motorcycle such that electrical power to the engine can be cut off either by pressing the cut-out switch or by the wheelie inhibitor device doing the same when the actuating rod pushes the switch to thereby open the circuit. This will normally be when the vehicle is tilted upwards relative to the ground until the free end of the actuating rod touches the ground and thereby causes the other end of the actuating rod to press against the electric switch and open the electrical circuit.
In an alternative embodiment, the wheelie inhibitor device is not connected to engine cut-out regions of the vehicle such as those described above but is, instead, connected to brake actuating regions and in particular to those which are capable of actuating the rear brake of the vehicle to thereby overcome the effects of the transmission of power from the engine to the or each rear wheel and as a result inhibit or prevent the occurrence of a wheelie. Conveniently, this may be achieved by a solenoid operated connection to the rear brake which is electrically activated by the actuating rod pressing against the electric switch in the switch housing to close the circuit, as opposed to opening the circuit, to thereby provide electrical current to the solenoid for the latter to then actuate the brake.
Preferably, the actuating rod is spring biased so that, whether the switch is to be normally closed or open the spring bias holds the actuating rod in the required position and axial movement of the actuating rod against the bias of the spring is required in order to open or close the switch, as required.
Preferably, the length of the actuating rod is adjustable so that the device may be fitted to any convenient rear part of a vehicle, such as the inside of a mud guard in the case of a motorcycle, and the length of the actuating rod adjusted as desired in order to determine the amount of tilt of the vehicle permitted before the free end of the actuating rod touches the ground and thereby actuates the electric switch. The actuating rod may also be adjustably articulated so that, irrespective of the angular disposition of the switch housing relative to the ground, the angle of the free end of the actuating rod may be adjusted as necessary in order to ensure that it is generally vertical to the ground when contact is made with it.